Brighton vs Aston Villa Preview: Team News & Prediction

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Brighton and Hove Albion get their Premier League season underway against Aston Villa down on the south coast at the AMEX Stadium.

Kick-off date/time: 23 August 2026 at 2:00 pm

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports+ / USA – Not televised

How to watch online: UK – Sky Sports+ / USA – Peacock

Brighton preview: Seagulls in Europe

Fabian Hurzeler has come under criticism from Brighton supporters during his two years in charge of The Seagulls, especially with the mega money spent during his first summer transfer window in 2024.

That said, though, the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history led Brighton to UEFA Europa Conference League qualification last season. They finished strongly through the spring to get to eighth in the table. The Seagulls shared a goalless draw in the Arctic Circle with Tromso in the first-leg of their play-off round tie the other day.

Aston Villa preview: Villa’s famous season

After a woeful start to the year, Unai Emery led Aston Villa to fourth place and UEFA Champions League qualification for the second time in three seasons, with the Villans also ending their trophy drought.

Winning his fifth UEFA Europa League title with an impressive 3-0 hammering of Freiburg in the final in Istanbul, Unai Emery didn’t necessarily even need his Villa side to be as good as they were in the Premier League, having achieved two different ways of qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition. The Villans succumbed to a 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup to kick off their campaign.

Brighton team news: Pre-season injuries

Brighton have sustained some key injury issues in pre-season with Gambia international winger Yankuba Minteh set for a spell on the sidelines alongside key defensive midfielder Carlos Baleba, who is reportedly set to sign for Manchester United.

Kaoru Mitoma and Stefanos Tzimas are recovering from longer-term injuries, with the former close to full fitness, while striker Evan Ferguson is also out, amid interest from Serie A once again.

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Costinha, Vuskovic, Dunk, Kadioglu; Hinshelwood, Gross; De Cuyper, Ayari, Gomez; Rutter

Unavailable: Baleba (Injured), Minteh (Injured), Tzimas (Injured), Ferguson (Injured)

Questionable: Mitoma (Fitness)

Aston Villa team news: Working it out

Aston Villa have a lot of work to do. Ezri Konsa is set to sign for Arsenal at the time of writing with Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Morgan Rogers having left the club while Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins are also probable departures before the close of the transfer window.

New signings Joao Gomes and Johan Manzambi start the Premier League season sidelined, while Brian Madjo, who impressed against PSG, is also an injury absentee.

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Torres, Mings, Maatsen; Bogarde, Kamara; McGinn, Buendia, Hemmings; Watkins

Unavailable: Onana (Injured), Gomes (Injured), Manzambi (Injured), Bailey (Injured), Madjo (Injured)

Questionable: Garnacho (Concussion), Abraham (Injured)

Brighton vs Aston Villa prediction

Brighton tend to dominate proceedings when they are at home. However, the southerners are often profligate, leading to quite a few frustrating draws at the AMEX Stadium, contributing to that criticism of Hurzeler. Unai Emery has endured some slow starts at Villa, failing to win any of their opening six matches across all competitions last year, having previously begun a season with a 5-1 loss to Newcastle United at St James’ Park a couple of years earlier. Villa have had a fair few stars at FIFA World Cup 2026 and another slow start may well beckon so siding with the hosts is decent value here.

Brighton vs Aston Villa tip: Double chance – Brighton to win or draw